Review – Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 #1: Monster Squad
Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 #1 cover, via DC Comics.
Ray: Crossovers are always full of potential for new stories that can't be told anywhere else, and they often result in wild and crazy action – and it doesn't get any wilder and crazier than pitting the entire DCU against the world's most famous kaiju. The first volume was a high-stakes adventure that saw several iconic DC heroes meet their end in what turned out to be an out-of-continuity tale. Now, four years later, Earth has returned to normal. The heroes are celebrating the wedding of Barry and Iris (although she still doesn't know his secret ID), and Lex Luthor has gone from prison to Task Force X. But the Suicide Squad isn't what it used to be. Amanda Waller has a new co-leader, a mysterious Colonel who at first looked like Rick Flag to me but doesn't act like that heroic military man. And he has a plan in case of the next kaiju invasion – fighting fire with fire, and some mad science. Contingency. Via DC Comics.
The plan is to turn normal-sized Squad members into Kaiju, and King Shark is the first in the barrel. The process works, but turns him into a rampaging beast that attracts Godzilla's attention. It works about as well for him as you'd think. Meanwhile, Mercy Graves is seeking help to find Lex after he was disappeared, and the hunt leads the Justice League to a portal directly to Skull Island. Kong doesn't seem particularly happy to see them. This issue is a lot of fun, with some great visuals, although it does spend a good amount of time setting things up for this new chapter. The big twist comes at the end, with another shocking character death (or so it seems) and the reveal of a character's identity that's a surprising deep cut. Unlike the first volume, this feels like it'll benefit a lot from knowing both DC and Godzilla lore, as the creators are ready to go into some deeper Monsterverse stuff.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
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